MassDOT to take over design costs for Kelley's Corner project in Acton

Matt Mallio @actonbeacon

Tuesday

May 14, 2019 at 2:35 PMMay 14, 2019 at 2:36 PM

The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) will take over design costs for the Kelley's Corner infrastructure project starting in July, according to Acton Town Manager John Mangiaratti. He said MassDOT recently contacted the town to say that because of the support for the project shown by residents, they would now pick up the additional design costs for the project.

“And what that means for the town," said Mangiaratti, "is that, instead of having to finish the design and pay for the consultants to do the work, MassDOT is going to do that for us.”

Background

At the 2018 Town Meeting, a previous plan was rejected by voters when an an article that called for the town to borrow $469,000 for additional project funding fell shy of the two-thirds majority needed (186-101) and was voted down. At this year's Town Meeting on April 1, residents voted to appropriate a total $525,000 for additional costs associated with the project, $450,000 of which was for additional design costs. It was passed by an 89 percent margin (467 in favor and 59 opposed). Possible improvements to Kelley's Corner -- the intersection for Route 27 and Route 111 -- have been a staple of town discussion since the 1970s. Many residents consider the intersection to be clogged with traffic and dangerous especially for pedestrians and cyclists.

The project's roughly $15 million in construction costs for the plan would be funded through the Boston Metropolitan Planning Organization Transportation Improvement Program and MassDOT.

MassDOT noticed resident support

One of the reasons MassDOT decided to take over design funding was because it noticed residents' support for the project from at both Town Meeting and a design review hearing in March, said Mangiaratti. A MassDOT delegation was present at the March meeting and witnessed the community support, which Mangiaratti said "really helped the leaders at the state understand that the support for the project is there."

While the town is still doing some of the design work, Mangiaratti said he was reasonably certain that most, if not all, of the $450,000 could be reappropriated for another part of the project, used for a different project, or put into reserves.

Outreach started

After the defeat at the previous Town Meeting, the town focused on addressing concerns and started an outreach program. The goal of the outreach, according to Selectmen Jon Benson, was to talk to people about the new plan, and get more people out to Town Meeting to vote on the proposal. Because the defeat in 2018 was very narrow, Benson said the goal was to get in excess of two-thirds approval at the 2019 Town Meeting.

"That 89 percent vote just didn’t happen," said Benson. "It was a huge amount of work."

Time table

The town would still be responsible for the taking of any easements. Any costs related to that would be discussed at the 2020 Town Meeting.

Mangiaratti said that by the end of 2021, the project would go out for bid. By early 2022, they will have awarded the contract, and construction would likely begin at the start of the construction season in the spring.